EIT Climate-KIC and partners (University of Bologna, Wuppertal Institute, Lund University, Montanuniversität Leoben and Ecomatters) have launched an exciting programme to cut down plastic demand, promoting a more circular approach to plastic-based material systems.
The project aims to explore and use innovative digital tools to improve plastics waste prevention. This can, for example, include blockchain solutions for improved market transparency, data analytics for simulation and forecast applications, and cyber physical systems for improved reuse and remanufacturing business models.
49 million tons of plastic were used in the EU in 2015 for packaging, building and construction, electronics or the automotive industry. Currently, less than 40 per cent are recycled, more than 30 per cent are incinerated for energy recovery and the remaining are landfilled.
The quality of recycled plastics is increasing – however, the overall uptake of recycled plastics remains low. Only 6 per cent of new plastic materials come from recycling; 95 per cent of the potential economic value in plastic packaging currently goes to waste.
eCircular aims to tackle this issue, enhancing plastic waste prevention by developing and supporting digital innovations.
Project lead Alberto Bellini, from the University of Bologna, says: “eCircular thrives for radical digital innovations for waste prevention and their upscaling. Digital technologies foster traceability of materials and products, allow for accurate information flows on product qualities and availability, reducing gaps in knowledge and regulation.”
“The programme seeks to strongly contribute to the European strategy for plastics in a circular economy. It gathers and unites the relevant actors on a powerful platform to overcome major barriers, different knowledge bases, and priorities,” says Kirsten Dunlop, CEO at EIT Climate-KIC.
Sira Saccani, EIT Climate KIC’s Director of Sustainable Production Systems, adds that the programme “aims to transform the plastics value chain, addressing current structural inefficiencies through innovative business models & eco-design, as well as supporting the shift to new consumer choices and behaviours.”
eCircular is one of the EIT Climate-KIC’s initiatives on addressing the challenges plastic value chains face. EIT Climate-KIC’s ambition is to co-design and launch a series of circular economy interventions on cement, plastics and metals value-chains, to achieve its goal of recasting material production towards net-zero emissions.
Background
eCircular was launched in May 2018 by EIT Climate-KIC, with research and activities carried out by the University of Bologna (lead organisation), Wuppertal Institute, Lund University, Montanuniversität Leoben, and Ecomatters.
EIT Climate-KIC is contributing by leveraging it innovation network of key stakeholders in the industry to catalyse a change in the system.
About EIT Climate-KIC
EIT Climate-KIC is Europe’s largest public-private innovation partnership focused on climate innovation to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, we identify and support innovation that helps society mitigate and adapt to climate change.
For more information please visit:
Or contact ecircular@climate-kic.org
The university project UniNEtZ (Universities and Sustainable Development Goals) was initiated by Alliance of Sustainable Universities in Austria and connects fifteen Austrian universities to a common goal: to work towards the SGDs. UniNEtZ was presented to representatives of different ministries on the 7.5.2018 in Vienna. The participation of Montanuniversitaet Leoben in the set-up of the project was supported by RIC Leoben. The project, which starts in 2019, aims to create a report of Austria’s current SDG implementation. This report can be used to derive options for Austria’s future development in the light of the SDGs. The project will assess research, education, further education, responsible science and higher education management. Additionally, the project shall foster interdisciplinary work in and across the fifteen participating universities. The innovative linking of gathered knowledge and research among the universities shall, however, not be limited to them but spill over to political stakeholders, administration, economy and civil society. Furthermore, the project aims to enhance competences regarding questions posed by the SDGs. In this respect researchers and students will build up competencies to attempt answers on how to achieve the SDGs.
The first of two CLC East Partner Meetings in 2018 was organized in Berlin on the 24th and 25th April 2018. The participation of partners was high and it was important for the RIC Leoben team to be present in order to jointly envisage future strategies in the CLC East. In more detail, the need for an ESEE Education strategy was discussed. The new CLC East Education Officer Imre Gombkoto presented a roadmap for a newly to be established Working Group on the ESEE Education Strategy. RIC Leoben is planning to support this Working Group. It is vital for the ESEE region to tackle issues such as brain drain and tertiary education renewal together. The partner meeting involved two group activities that showed the CLC East partners willingness to work together on their innovative ideas for the ESEE region.
From the 21st-23rd March 2018 the Global Festival of Sustainable Development took place in Bonn, Germany. To observe the new trends in SDG implementation and to learn how to raise SDG awareness RIC Leoben visited the event. The event was structured around impact (local, national, global initiatives), methods (data, events, social media, virtual reality) or organizational levels (EU, national governments, municipalities) instead according to the SDGs 1-17. This allowed for a mix of stakeholders and ideas. For example, the session “Mobilizing action through the power of events” presented different event types to raise SDG awareness while at the same time input of how to organize events in line with sustainable development.
RIC Leoben’s presence allowed establishing valuable connections to SDG agents working with Virtual Reality to support sustainable development via education. Furthermore, connection to the Circular Economy Club was made and mutual support was discussed.
Finally, the festival shared the spirit of global change and a spark of it was carried back to Montanuniversitaet Leoben.